Carrot Top Pistou Recipe with Lemon

Back off Bugs, carrot tops aren’t just for bunnies. This naturally vegan recipe for carrot top pistou produces a vibrant, fresh and zingy condiment that livens up all sorts of dishes. It’s super quick to make and can be on the table in five minutes.

Like most edible greens, carrot tops are really nutritious. Surprisingly, or maybe not, the tops have heaps more vitamin C in them than the actual carrots do. They’re said to be particularly good for bone density, digestion, vision, healthy kidneys and regulating blood pressure.

What is Pistou?

Pistou is a lighter and naturally vegan version of traditional Genovese pesto. It comes from Provence in France rather than Genoa in Italy and it doesn’t have the nuts and cheese. In Provence, it’s traditionally prepared for soupe au pistou, which is a fresh vegetable soup similar to minestrone. The name is a Provencal word derived from the latin pestare which means to pound. Therein likes the clue to its preparation. For all the artisans out there, grab your pestle and mortar and start pounding. This way of preparing it is meant to produce the creamiest consistency. I have to confess, I’ve never tried this method; I’ve opted for the much easier blender or food processor option.

Traditional French pistou only contains four ingredients. These are: basil, garlic, salt and olive oil. My carrot top pistou has five. Carrot tops have a very different quality to basil; not only are they drier but also less fragrant. They have a mild carroty flavour and are slightly bitter. I feel it needs a bit of lemon zest and juice to lift it and give it some zing. It works a treat.

Carrot Top Pistou with Lemon

This is an incredibly easy recipe to make and a fast one too. Five minutes should see it from veg rack to table. This does assume you have a food processor or blender to hand. If you make it in the traditional way with a pestle and mortar, it will take a bit longer.

As there are so few ingredients in this carrot top pistou, the quality of them is absolutely key. Cut the carrot greens from your newly harvested or bought carrots, wash them and use straight away. Try to use a good flavoursome sea salt. My go to salt for most cooking is unrefined Atlantic grey sea salt which is full of minerals and has a slight flavour of the sea. Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil if you can. A peppery one works well. Also, try to use an organic lemon. All it needs is a quick rinse under water and you won’t get any of the horrid chemicals they spray on other lemons – even unwaxed ones.

We grow our own garlic, but at this time of year our cloves are long gone. But now is the time to harvest garlic scapes. I used four of these rather than a clove of garlic in this batch of carrot top pistou.

Last night we ate veggie sausage and roasted carrot wraps with some of this batch of carrot top pistou. Please forgive CT his fingernails. Sometimes I reckon he spends more time with his hands in the soil than he does with them out of it.

Froothie Power Blender

You don’t really need a power blender to make this carrot top pistou, a normal blender or food processor will work fine. If, however, you want your pesto to be super smooth, a Froothie power blender will do the trick. My Optimum Vac2 Air Vacuum Blender* sits on my kitchen top permanently as I use it nearly every day. So, even though I didn’t actually want my pistou to be ultra smooth, this is what I used. I find a low speed works best for this sort of thing. It seems to stop the blades getting gummed up.

I added everything to the blender at once, except for two tablespoons of the olive oil. After everything had blended to a texture I was happy with, I added another spoon. Once this was briefly blended I added the final spoon, which gave it just the consistency I wanted.

As a Froothie ambassador, I can offer you a £20 discount off any other Froothie blender*. There are a few of them. Use the code AMB20 + 2483 when you order.

How to Use Carrot Top Pistou

Dress pasta in the same way as pesto. Just scatter a few toasted nuts over the top. Pine nuts are particularly good for this, as are walnuts. If you’re not vegan, some crumbled feta cheese is good instead of, or even as well as, the nuts. Alternatively, top with fried mushrooms.

Spread on wraps, bread or toast as a base layer for whatever you’re putting on top.

Mix into roast vegetables as soon as they come out of the oven.

Spoon over steamed or boiled vegetables when serving.

Add a spoonful or two to soup as you’re serving it.

Use as a salad dressing. You might want to add a little more oil and lemon juice for this.

Top Tips for Carrot Top Pistou

Pistou is the sort of condiment that is infinitely variable. It’s easily adapted to suit individual tastes and it’s well worth having a jar in the fridge. Here are some of my top tips on how to vary it and keep it fresh.

Roughly chop the carrot greens first as this will make the blending process easier.

Use more olive oil to make it a bit runnier and more sauce like. Try adding another 2-4 tbsp bit by bit until you get the consistency you want.

Add a few sprigs of another herb to the mix for additional flavour. I’ve found that oregano or even marjoram work well with the mild carroty flavour. But basil, mint or dill are all good too.

Seal the jar with olive oil and it will last in the fridge for several weeks.

Show Me

Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this carrot top pistou, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below or via social media. Do share photos on your preferred social media site and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them. For more delicious and nutritious recipes, follow me on Twitter, Facebook,Instagram or Pinterest.

Carrot Top Pesto – The Recipe

A vibrant, fresh and zingy condiment that livens up all sorts of dishes. It's super quick to make and can be on the table within five minutes.

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Course: Dips, Spreads & Sauces

Cuisine: French

Keywords: carrot tops, condiment, pesto, pistou, quick

Servings: 1small jars

Calories: 585kcal

Author: Choclette @ Tin and Thyme

Ingredients

1small bunchcarrot tops - washed & trimmed if necessary

1clovegarlic - peeled(I used 4 garlic scapes instead)

4tbspextra virgin olive oil

¼tspsea salt(I used Atlantic grey sea salt)

½lemon- zest & juice

Instructions

Roughly chop the carrot tops and garlic. This isn't strictly necessary, but it makes the blending process easier.

Place all ingredients, except for 2 tbsp of the olive oil, in a blender or food processor. Blend on a low setting until you have more or less your desired consistency. I used my Optimum Vac2 Air Vacuum Blender.

Add one of the reserved tablespoons of olive oil and blend briefly. Finally add the last one and briefly blend again.

Recipe Notes

How much olive oil you add, will very much depend on the size of your carrot top bunch. If you prefer a more sauce like consistency, just add another 1-4 tbsp of olive oil - spoon by spoon until you have the texture you're looking for.

Will keep in a sealed jar in the fridge for a few days. To keep it fresh and green for up to a month, cover the top with olive oil before sealing. Alternatively, freeze in ice cube trays for handy-sized portions.

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26 Comments

Mary

14th May 2019 at 9:06 pm

Nice with a hearty slice of cheese. Don’t see Carrot Tops very often but if I chance on some they will be muddled up in no time. Not a gardener either!! Thanks for the idea. Looking forward to having a go.

I was so sure pistou was a soup but made sense when I read it is often used in a soup. I am very admiring of anyone who can use carrot tops in a recipe – this looks great – and I love the photo of CT’s earthy hands – just right for a photo of someone who is earthy enough to eat their carrot tops and not throw them away

Hahaha Johanna, you’ve hit it bang on. Earthy is a good way to describe CT. It’s a bit confusing as there’s a famous Provancal soup called soupe au pistou, but pistou is the paste that then goes into the soup.

This is something totally new to me and sounds delicious! I love the sound of that wrap too! What a great addition to wraps. This is something I would definitely make if I can get my hands on some carrot tops!

Yes, getting your hands on carrot tops may not be that easy if you don’t grow your own or get a veg box. But some greengrocers will have them at this time of year and some farmer’s markets will too. But you can always resort to the classic basil instead.

Connect with me

Hello, I’m Choclette. I’m a vegetarian whole food recipe developer. I have a sweet tooth and a passion for baking and chocolate. Welcome to my award winning blog. Here you will find nourishing home cooked food with a twist as well as wholesome foodie tales.